A man hurried down a long corridor, stopping before a large reinforced door.
He knocked once.
??? — "May I come in, Supreme Four?"
From inside, a calm voice answered:
Supreme 4 — "Enter."
The man stepped in, bowed slightly, and spoke with urgency.
??? — "Supreme Four sirs, may I speak?"
Supreme 1 — "You may and you are Ryoto, Head General of the EDEN Government."
Ryoto- "Yes Sir."
Supreme 2 — "Then speak quickly, General."
Ryoto straightened his posture.
Ryoto — "The information… is about the commanders we sent to destroy Nika Island. They have been defeated.
Again."
A tense silence filled the room.
Supreme 4 — "Again? Do you know who's responsible?"
Ryoto's expression hardened.
Ryoto — "I have one man in mind.
A man who fought a God-level pirate…
A man who clashed blades with the strongest swordsman…
A man who once fought me."
Supreme 3 — "Who is he?"
Ryoto lowered his voice.
Ryoto — "The captain of the Scar-Ed Pirate Crew."
A ripple of unease ran through the four Supremes.
Ryoto — "That's why I request we halt the destruction order for Nika Island. If we keep sending forces… the casualties will grow."
Supreme 3 leaned back, exhaling.
Supreme 3 — "You have a point. Very well.
We grant you permission to suspend the mission.
Nika Island destruction—paused for now."
Ryoto — "Thank you, sirs. May I take my leave?"
Supreme 1 — "You may."
Ryoto turned toward the door—
But then:
Supreme 2 — "General. One last thing."
Ryoto stopped.
Supreme 2 — "What is the name of that man?"
Ryoto glanced back.
Ryoto — "His name is—"
Scene Change — Open Sea
Ato paddled across the endless ocean on his tiny boat.
His stomach growled loudly.
Ato — "Ughhh… I should've asked Lito for some food. Idiot me."
He sighed, staring at the horizon.
Ato — "Will Lito be okay? Will he escape from… whatever those things were?"
He frowned, thinking back.
Ato — "How strong is he, actually? He always told me those wild stories… fighting the strongest EDEN General…
I thought he was lying.
Honestly… I still don't know how strong he is."
Suddenly—
SPLAAAASH!
A massive shape burst out of the ocean.
Ato nearly fell over.
Ato — "WHAT THE—!? Oh… it's a… sea—"
He squinted.
Ato — "A Sea Beast! Thank god. Not a Sea Demon or a Sea Dragon."
He recalled Lito's lessons:
One line on the forehead → Sea Beast
Two lines → Sea Titan
Three lines → Sea Dragon
Four lines → ??? — Sea Demon? Unknown?
Ato — "This one has one line… Sea Beast. That's the lowest rank. I can deal with this!"
The Sea Beast roared, lunging at him—
Ato braced himself—
And the battle began.